Tottenham outcast to be given second chance

Stand-in Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood is ready to hand Emmanuel Adebayor a second chance at White Hart Lane, according to reports from The Mirror.

The Togolese striker has been frozen out of the first-team this season following the arrival of Roberto Soldado, with former chief Andre Villas-Boas said to have grown frustrated with his attitude and work-rate.

But Sherwood – who has been named as the club’s temporary boss – is set to offer Adebayor a lifeline, starting with this evening’s Capital One Cup clash with West Ham.

The ex-Arsenal man could be handed a shock start against the Hammers, with the club keen to get him fit and firing ahead of the weekend meeting with Southampton – which is considered to be a must win game after Sunday’s 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool.

Adebayor’s exile was thought to have been a major aspect of AVB’s dismissal, with chairman Daniel Levy frustrated that a player earning £190,000-per-week wasn’t being utilised.

Sherwood is desperate to solve the London club’s attacking problems, with Spurs having netted only 15 goals in 16 games – three times fewer than Manchester City and two less than Luis Suarez.

Adebayor could be used alongside Soldado – with the Spaniard having failed to transfer his impressive La Liga form to the English top tier after notching just four league goals – or as a lone forward.